


Wind Storms

by bryozoans



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Also there are rabbits on Angel Island I guess, Drabble, Established Relationship, Ficlet, Fluff, Kissing, Knuxadow, M/M, Shaduckles, kissu kissu, lotsa fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 16:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7808746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bryozoans/pseuds/bryozoans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Knuckles and Shadow have a tender moment during a windstorm on Angel Island.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wind Storms

**Author's Note:**

> Date at the beginning is the day I wrote this. The tic marks are passages of time.

1/28/16 

Angel Island was prone to virulent wind storms, given its position in the sky. Shadow would have preferred Knuckles to get off of the island altogether when these storms happened, but the echidna’s guardian instincts were too strong, for both the safety of the Emerald and the consideration of his animal friends. 

And so Shadow compromised. 

He brought a packet of jerky, a bottle of water, and a thermos with some homemade soup Rouge had taught him how to make. Knuckles didn’t eat enough protein regularly on the island; fruit and plants were his main sustenance, and Shadow did not miss the massive enjoyment Knuckles experienced when eating the richer foods he supplied. 

They holed up in a den of Knuckles’ own creation, a kind of natural bunker that Knuckles had dug specifically for these situations. It was the first time Shadow had ever been in it, and he could not say the impression was disappointing. It was close and dark and very cozy, lined with dried grass. 

There were also rabbits. They passed in and out of the den as the two ate, giving Shadow curious glances and coming to Knuckles to be petted. Knuckles had told him something about how the rabbit's’ warren tunnels passed through, and used the space for storage. Shadow supposed that the dried grass tucked away in the corners were the mentioned stores. A few of the rabbits, made uneasy by the storm and seeking to be close to their guardian, stayed near, coming every now and then to be stroked and acknowledged by Knuckles soft mitts and cooing demeanor. 

The space was warm, and the soup did not help. The combination of the rabbit’s activity and Shadow’s and Knuckles’ fast metabolisms pushed away the cold, so it was almost uncomfortably warm. 

\-- 

“Thank you.” They were uncommon words, coming from Knuckles, who did not always necessarily understand the social construct of showing gratitude. It meant something when he remembered. Shadow became slightly heated under his fur, but he dared not show a hint of it to the echidna. 

“It’s nothing,” he said, keeping his eyes to the floor. He did not wish for Knuckles to know how good it felt to be thanked for this meaningless action. It was just food. He shouldn’t be thanked for providing a simple, natural need while the wind whistled above them, the roots of the trees groaning in the soil around this safe and soothing place.

The feeling of Knuckles’ lips against the side of his face burned pleasantly, and he was still as Knuckles pulled away. He looked at the echidna, slightly surprised and distantly wanting more, when their lips were suddenly connected and there were no more thoughts. 

A bolt of energy streaked down his spine, and his inhibitor rings sparked as it rushed to the ends of his limbs, sparks flashing in the dimness of the space. He grabbed a firm arm for support as a familiar tongue found its way into his mouth and pressed against his own.

He loved Knuckles’ kisses. If there was anything Shadow felt true love for, it was this echidna’s slow, almost inexperienced, strangely personal kisses, his tongue clumsy and unknowing, running over teeth and flicking the roof of his mouth by accident, sending jolts of feeling that were nearly ticklish. When Knuckles kissed him like this, he could truly be lost in enjoyment, could forget. 

He did not deserve such intimacy. He never kissed Knuckles first, never took it for his own, even when the occasion arose. It did not feel right. And the echidna did not seem to understand just how enjoyable and wanted this kissing was, which made each rare occurrence that much more enlivening. And so he reciprocated, his movements quicker than Knuckles’, his tactic slightly more aggressive but simultaneously soft. The rings around his wrists were getting hot, waves of energy rotating across his body and lighting the metal to a faint gold. Arms looped around shoulders, and somehow Knuckles ended up sitting on top of him, Shadow’s back pressed to the cool earth, their kissing suddenly far more involved. His hands ran into dreads, his fingers curling, tugging gently, and Knuckles groaned softly into his mouth, his own hands placing themselves over the V of white fur on the hedgehog’s chest, fondling there. 

They were both panting when they pulled away for air, both of their faces warm and sensitive and craving more touch. It may have gone farther, might have ended somewhere pleasant and satisfied, if Shadow had not noticed the audience that was gathering in the darkness of this bed of earth. 

“Knuckles…” he murmured softly, reluctantly, almost annoyed, “Your friends…”

Many of the rabbits were watching them in earnest, curiosity pricking their ears and sparkling their eyes. There was quite a number of them, scrambling over each other to get a better view. A few ran away as soon as Shadow looked at them, as if realizing their voyeurism, or, more likely, simply afraid of the scary hedgehog’s intense eyes and unknown intentions. 

“Oh. Yes.” Knuckles gave an inaudible sigh as he glanced over his shoulder. He did something, some look or hidden gesture that Shadow did not quite catch, and the rabbits scurried away en masse, their white tails flashing down the ends of their tunnels. He carefully lifted himself from his seat on Shadow’s hips, much to Shadow’s dismay, running a hand through ruffled dreads. Shadow felt an almost uncontrollable urge to grab the echidna and do something, but he controlled himself and let the echidna get away, his rings slowly cooling off as he fixed his own wayward quills. It took him a moment to realize Knuckles was looking at him sideways, a hand still in his dreads. It was nearly coquettish, and Shadow couldn’t decide if he liked it entirely too much or if it concerned him for how uncharacteristic the expression was on Knuckle’s face.  
Knuckles, thankfully, straightened, so Shadow was no longer distracted. The hedgehog swallowed, his eyes once more downcast.

“When do you think this wind storm will end?” he asked. He tried to tell himself that the question was a legitimately innocent inquiry and not a confirmation on how long he would have to wait to corner the echidna on the surface of the island. He also hoped Knuckles did not take it as a hint that he wanted to leave. That was far from what he wanted.

Knuckles rolled to sit next to him, so close their arms were brushing, and began to pick at his knuckle spikes. 

“Not soon enough.”




End file.
